Pat McAfee criticises Utah's Instagram video before College GameDay; university apologises
ESPN's Pat McAfee said a University of Utah Instagram video of students calling him "corny" and "creepy" made him uncomfortable before Saturday's College GameDay. The university removed it and apologised.
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The story, neutrally told
Mixed · 2ESPN's Pat McAfee said on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Monday that a University of Utah Instagram video posted before Saturday's "College GameDay" in Salt Lake City made him feel uncomfortable. Fox NewsR “McAfee said he saw a video on the university’s Instagram account shortly before going on air in Salt Lake City.” Read at Fox News ↗ NBC NewsLC ““The university puts that out,” he continued.” Read at NBC News ↗ Mixed · 2In the video, students did impressions of McAfee, and some called him "corny" and "creepy"; the footage has since been deleted. Fox NewsR “The post asked students to do impressions of him, he said, and included comments calling him "corny" and "creepy."” Read at Fox News ↗ NBC NewsLC “which were taped and published on the school’s Instagram, though the footage has since been deleted” Read at NBC News ↗ Mixed · 2McAfee said he would not have minded had the students posted the remarks on their own blogs, but objected that the university published them just before he went in front of thousands of fans. NBC NewsLC ““OK if these kids would have done this on their own blogs, all good.” Read at NBC News ↗ Fox NewsR “It’s not like a blog. It’s the actual place that we’re at,”” Read at Fox News ↗
Mixed · 2He also appeared to refer to the September 2025 killing of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University in Orem, asking whether anything scary had happened at a college gathering in Utah recently and whether the university should be amplifying reasons people hate him. Fox NewsR “Has anything like really scary happened at like a college gathering in the state of Utah recently?” Read at Fox News ↗ NBC NewsLC “did something else happen pretty scary at a college gathering in the state of Utah recently?” Read at NBC News ↗ Mixed · 2The University of Utah apologised in a statement on social media, saying it wanted "lighthearted engagement" but "missed the mark", that staff took full accountability, and that McAfee and the GameDay crew are always welcome. Fox NewsR “it "missed the mark."” Read at Fox News ↗ NBC NewsLC “Pat and the entire GameDay crew are always welcome at the University of Utah” Read at NBC News ↗ Right · 1Fox News also reported that McAfee objected to a student in his "Kicking Is Easy" contest asking why the prize was "only $1 million", said he hoped not to return, but called the student section "incredible" and the broadcast "phenomenal"; Utah beat Houston 21-13. Fox NewsR “Utah went on to defeat Houston 21-13 on Saturday.”“It was a phenomenal GameDay. Thank you to everybody that showed up,” Read at Fox News ↗
Left · 1NBC News added that McAfee is among the most polarizing figures in sports media and had to apologise last year to a University of Mississippi student over a false rumor he amplified. NBC NewsLC “McAfee is among the most polarizing figures in modern sports media.” Read at NBC News ↗
Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.
Left1 outlet
- Framing
- Leads with the university's apology and describes the students' remarks as mild; treats the Kirk reference as a comparison McAfee drew.
- Emphasis
- The apology, the mildness of the remarks, and McAfee's polarizing reputation and past apology.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Omits the 'Kicking Is Easy' complaint, the Utah win, and the university's statement about accountability and seven prior visits.
- Charged language
- “moderately disparaging”“polarizing”“right wing provocateur”
Centre0 outlets
No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.
Right1 outlet
- Framing
- Leads with McAfee invoking the Charlie Kirk killing, and frames the visit as a source of McAfee's discomfort and frustration.
- Emphasis
- The Kirk reference, McAfee's quotes, his other grievances (the contest, hoping not to return) and the university's full apology.
- Leaves out or plays down
- Does not mention McAfee's earlier apology to an Ole Miss student or call him polarizing.
- Charged language
- “ripped”“uncomfortable”
- For example
-
“Pat McAfee invokes Charlie Kirk killing as Utah post sparks 'uncomfortable' GameDay visit” — Fox News
What every side reports
- McAfee criticised a University of Utah Instagram video on his show on Monday.
- Students called him 'corny' and 'creepy' in the video, which has been removed.
- The university apologised.
- McAfee made a reference to Charlie Kirk's killing at Utah Valley University.
Where accounts differ
-
Nature of McAfee's Kirk reference
- Left
- Says he appeared to draw a comparison between himself and Kirk.
- Right
- Says he appeared to reference the Kirk shooting to describe the hostility he faces.
Pat McAfee person
Says the university's post made him uncomfortable because the school, not students on their own, published it right before he went on air.
“This is how the university feels about it. It’s an uncomfortable feeling.” — Fox News
University of Utah organisation
Apologises, says the post aimed at lighthearted engagement but missed the mark, and says McAfee is welcome.
“we take full accountability for that decision” — Fox News
“Nothing could be further from the truth.” — NBC News
Left1 article
-
University of Utah apologizes to Pat McAfee after students mock the ESPN host
Critical Stresses the apology and mild remarks, and adds critical context about McAfee's polarizing profile and past apology.
Centre0 articles
No coverage yet.
Right1 article
-
Pat McAfee invokes Charlie Kirk killing as Utah post sparks 'uncomfortable' GameDay visit
Mixed Foregrounds McAfee's Kirk reference and complaints, while reporting the apology in detail.
- 27 Oct 05:05 First Fox NewsR Pat McAfee invokes Charlie Kirk killing as Utah post sparks 'uncomfortable' GameDay visit
- 27 Oct 20:27 +15h 22m NBC NewsLC University of Utah apologizes to Pat McAfee after students mock the ESPN host
Times are when each article was published, or when we first saw it if the outlet gave no time.
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